Analysis of Awake
Calm as that moonbeam on the wall,
Sleep broods on baby's eyes;
Arms, hush'd and still, but pulsing quick,
Enfold him as he lies;
My brain is full of thronging thoughts,
Strange passions thrill my breast,
My heart aches with a load of love
That will not let me rest.
The dim years stand about my bed,
They neither smile nor weep;
Like softest kisses, on my face
The little fingers creep.
I hear slow footfalls, in the night
Of fates upon his track,—
O love, I cannot let you go!
I cannot keep you back!
Lord, let him shelter in my arms,
Or take us both to Thine;
Or, if a troublous life must come,
Make all the trouble mine:
Or let thy sharp swords pierce my heart
To blunt them for the child,—
What care I, Lord, for stain and shame,
So he keep undefiled!
Nay, Lord, I know not what I ask—
I know not how to pray:
Hear Thou the crying mother-soul,
And not the words I say.
Do Thou what seemeth good to Thee,
So he be spared from sin;
And, oh! if love can aught avail,
Let mine be counted in.
Scheme | XAXAXBXB XCXCXDXD XEXEXXXB XFXFXGXG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111101 111101 11011101 011111 1111111 110111 11110111 111111 01110111 110111 11010111 010101 1111001 110111 11110111 110111 11110011 111111 1101111 110101 11111111 111101 11111101 1111 11111111 111111 11010101 010111 1111111 111111 01111101 111100 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 975 |
Words | 201 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 188 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 49 |
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"Awake" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/46/awake>.
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